Fire/Life Safety

Fire and life safety refers to basic fire and safety issues that may arise in a building and how to avoid them.  During a fire/life safety inspection, the Building Official looks at the layout of your building to make sure that:

• There is a minimum level of fire suppression equipment available in the event of a fire.
• There are sufficient ways to exit the building safely in the event of an emergency.
• Exits are clearly marked and free from obstruction.

The most common issues that come up regarding fire and life safety during an inspection are:

Fire extinguishers

• Do you have the proper number for the size of your space?
• Are your extinguishers properly rated for your building?
• Have your extinguishers been tested within the last calendar year?

Proper ingress/egress (Can you get in and out of the building easily?)

• Are building exits properly marked?
• Are building exits free of obstruction?
• Do building exits have working egress lighting (bug-eyes) to illuminate exit paths in an emergency?  Have the bulbs been tested?
• Are all emergency exit signs properly illuminated?
• Do emergency exit signs stay illuminated when the power is shut off?

Sprinkler systems

• Do you have one?  Are you required to have one?
• If you do have one, has it been inspected within the past calendar year?

Electrical panel – Clear access to the panel?  Any obstructions?

These are the most common issues that arise regarding fire/life safety during an inspection, but they are not the only issues.  You can avoid a long list of repairs by checking the things listed here and making basic repairs if needed prior to your Fire/Life Safety inspection.